Mooring is the act of tethering or tying a vessel to a secured object in order for it not to shift when it is berthed(parked). The object used in performing mooring is a rope.
A mooring rope/line can be made of either a chain, wire or synthetic fibre and it can also be made with all these materials combined.
A chain is the heaviest of the mooring lines and is mostly useful for long term mooring. It is suitable for shallow waters. Because of its low elasticity, it is able to hold out against strong force for a long time.
A wire can be made of a spiral strand, a multiple strand rope or a six-strand of rope and it’s a bit lighter and stretches than a chain line and it’s fit for deeper waters. Because of its features, the vessel might not be stable as compared to how chain wire will hold a vessel.
The most commonly used mooring rope is synthetic fibre. The synthetic fibre is highly lightweight and elastic which makes it buoyant(float) when in water. They are usually used in waters which is higher depth. It consists of polyester, polypropylene, polyethene, and polyamide. A synthetic fibre rope can either consist of any one of these fibres or all of them put together. Quality mooring ropes require to be lightweight, chemical resistant, UV stabilized and high strength.
Know that each type of rope is used differently based on these factors, the weather of the port at the particular time, the depth of the weather, the waves, tides, currents or the surge from a passing vessel and the type of ship.